The freshness and potential of youth, the patience and determination of instruction, the talent bursting between them; all could be found and appreciated at the second-annual San Jose Area Writing Project Young Writer's Camp.

The week was a fantastic opportunity to observe the interactions between professional teachers and eager students in a number of grades, from second to sixth. I have had experience volunteering in classrooms every once in a while, as well as tutoring students on a one-on-one basis, but I have not worked in classrooms for a whole school day before. I knew before the camp started that I could learn a lot more by exposing myself to the latter environment.

For the most part, I wished to assist with the camp in order to learn more about classroom management, the area of teaching in which I feel I need the most guidance. I have always been told that I would be a great teacher, but that I need to work on discipline and consistency. What better place could I learn effective classroom management techniques than the weeklong camp? I wanted to see how an experienced teacher would handle a classroom of children for six hours without the help of a number of assistants. My strengths are also in writing, so I was interested in the methods the camp instructors would employ to teach writing concepts and strategies. I could see from the camp's first planning session prior to the camp that the teachers were determined about teaching children how to write correctly and honestly.

The first day, I was arranged to help the teacher of the fifth-grade class, which I was excited about, as my teaching interests lie in the middle-level area. While she smiled often and was extremely creative in her teaching methods, she came off much more stern than I felt comfortable with in addressing student behavior, though her approach was not cruel by any means. I can remember my own elementary and middle school teachers working with my classes in similar ways, and I was afraid I would have to adjust my demeanor toward students as such in order to effectively teach and manage them.

The next day, however, was much more comforting and agreeable to me as far as classroom management went. I was set to help in the fifth-sixth combo class that day, and the instructor's methods struck me as more validating and passionate. I am aware of the fact that it will most likely take me years of experience and effort to develop such effective classroom management techniques as that particular teacher, so for a headstart, I took the opportunity to ask her how she came to be able to work with students so well. Seemingly surprised, she laughed and responded that it wasn't about her; rather, it was the students who made it possible.

She did explain how important it is to note everything students may say; while certain comments should be discouraged, sometimes even outwardly pointless statements may be of value to a discussion. I personally feel sad for children when their comments are ignored, and after watching the class on the first day, I was afraid that was what I would have to do to run an efficient classroom. After speaking with the second teacher, however, I saw the importance of different teaching styles and felt confident that I could manage a successful classroom someday... with enough experience and support, of course.

Other "secrets" to the success of the second instructor? That would include being passionate about what she does. I could see it not just in her face, but also in the faces of her students when she brought in a well-known author, Alma Flor Ada (who happened to be a student's grandmother!), to speak to the children about where writing comes from and what it means. I could see the teacher's passion for teaching even when she reprimanded her students. "Put the responsibility for their behavior in their hands," she had said. "Show them that you think they are mature enough to handle themselves." The respect she showed to the students was admirable.

As with any lesson, I witnessed throughout the week the value of offering several options for students to showcase their writing talents. I saw how successful students were in discovering and expressing their ideas when they were allowed to do so through their favorite methods, whether video, art, observation, research, or other ways. Children have so many strengths that it would be a pity to suppress their talents by only accepting work completed in specific ways.

Grouping students together for writing projects had many apparent benefits as well. Not only did pairing students encourage completion and improvement, but combining students from different grades also allowed older students to teach different concepts to those in lower grades while younger students could bring to the table something fresh or simple that other students may completely miss.

Connecting assignments to students' interests and personal lives resulted in the perfect content for great writing. I know that I love to write about the things I know best, and the students seemed to share this sentiment, as many of their stronger and more detailed stories were based on their own experiences and interests. Such a foundation could be found in both fiction and non-fiction writing, prose and poetry. For instance, when one teacher encouraged her students to write a story with dialogue about a problem between two characters, she prompted them by asking what problems they've had before in their own lives, then wrote their ideas on the board for them to base their stories on. Additionally, having students write about their problems and reflect on them can help in working through them.

While each of the Youth Writer's Camp teachers used different methods in working with students of varying levels, all shared the determination to impart the importance of writing and effective ways of doing so. It was fascinating to witness how children of all ages responded to the week's instruction, and how students and teachers of the different grade levels collaborated throughout the camp's duration. I felt honored to be a helping hand while observing professionals at work in order to improve my own approach to teaching.